Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones
Episode 9, Season 5 of War. Enjoy! Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones One would think that two squad members getting back together, especially two squad members whose hobbies enjoy trying to make the rest of us as uncomfortable as possible with their making out, would be at least a little awkward. A little weird. I guess we're all just so used to Shadowsong and Oakclaw's on and off craziness that this is natural. Who knows, maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and they'll be broken up again. Thank StarClan Gorsefur and I aren't like that. ...or at least, that we're not as bad. We're all eating breakfast together. Stormflight and Grayleaf are arguing with Snowflight and Adderscar over who would win in a fight, a badger or a fox. Or was it a hawk and a really big, angry squirrel? Anyways, they're arguing. Shadowsong and Oakclaw are sitting with Gorsefur and I, eating like normal cats. Sort of. "I'm telling you, I could totally take on two foxes," Oakclaw brags. "You so could not!" I protest. "Oakclaw, I've seen you try to take on two foxes," Shadowsong meows. "More specifically, I've had to save you from when you decided to take on two foxes." Gorsefur laughs so hard he coughs up a piece of wren, and then we all tease him about that for a while. It's good to be back with the group. Or, at least, it was good to be back with the group until a courier runs through the barracks, shouting, "Meeting! Meeting!" The squads sitting outside the other dens (several of whom were simply staring at us, wondering if we were on catnip) groan and get up. Gorsefur stands and stretches, "All right, let's get this over with." Stormflight curses and gets up, glaring at Adderscar and Snowflight, "We'll continue this argument later." "What argument?" Snowflight purrs, "You've already lost!" We pad through Main, chattering and joining the stream of squads heading for Waterstar's clearing. Settling in the huge clearing, I'm thankful we actually got a spot. I can see cats crowding all around, unable to sit for lack of room. After about half an hour of the crowd just talking and speculating about why we're here, Waterstar finally takes her place and a hush falls over the crowd. "Today, we march," she begins. The clearing is so silent you could hear a kitten squeak. "EarthClan must be persuaded that they cannot continue their barrage against us. After speaking to several advisers, and hearing vital information from the field-" Snowflight nudges me, "That's us!" "-I have decided a full out attack is the best way to go. We will leave warriors here to guard camp in case of an attack, but most of our forces will be spent taking the battle to EarthClan." There's an explosion of cheers and protests and everything in between. Some cats just yowl wordlessly, adding to the confusion. But Waterstar yowls and we all shut up like the good little soldiers we are. "Separate patrol leaders will be in charge of several squads. If your commanders name is listed, you will be asked to select two squad members to leave behind, not including medicine cats. Cats who are going will be meeting outside camp by sunset. Cats who are not will be asked to find a place to watch over the camp." And with that, a long line of patrol leaders come forward and start listing names. Apart of me wants to goof off and whisper with the others, but I see Gorsefur standing alert and remember that I'm the second. I stand straighter and perk my ears. Three patrol leaders later, I hear, "...Gorsefur...." Gorsefur stands and threads through the crowd, the rest of us following him until we're far enough away that we can speak privately. "Can I just say not it to stay behind?" Oakclaw asks. "This is going to be one of the biggest battles in the war!" Stormflight says, blue eyes electric with excitement. "Alright," Gorsefur says. "Here's how we're doing this. Adderscar, Grayleaf, Stormflight, Oakclaw, and Snowflight, you're with me. Shadowsong and Brookfall will stay behind." "What?!" we both squawk at the same time. "Shadowsong, let's be honest, you know why you can't go," Shadowsong lowers her head, eyes burning with humiliation and anger. "And Brookfall, you-" "No," I meow, voice trembling with rage. "You are not leaving me here, because no matter what you say, I know you just want me here for my stupid 'protection'. Well I'm going whether you like it or not, so you at least better be kind enough to leave someone else here so that they're not a cat down when I sneak off to join the battle." Everyone looks at me with wide eyes. Gorsefur's mouth opens and closes a few times before he finally says, "Erm...okay. Well...um..." "I'll stay," Snowflight says quietly. Stormflight looks disappointed, but Gorsefur nods gratefully. With the decision made, I stalk past him, "Let's go hunting," I call back to the squad. "We've got a long night ahead of us." Shadowsong would not have watched the squad go. She would have sat and sulked and then eventually snuck off to go do her heroing on the battlefield. But she was really, really trying to be different. Better. So she went and told Oakclaw that if he didn't come back she was going to kill him, told the others to kick tail for her. She didn't sulk as Snowflight thought aloud about where they should station themselves. She didn't start any fantasies about running off and saving the day. It was exhausting. But not quite as exhausting as having to stand and take it when Gorsefur and Brookfall returned an hour later. "Brookfall twisted her paw in a rabbit hole," Gorsefur explained. "Snowflight, you're up." Watching Snowflight- Snowflight, who was FireClan for far longer than she, who had broken Stormflight's heart once and helped Thundercloud torture them for a moon- pad away, leaving Shadowsong and Brookfall each stormy in anger. "I totally proved myself and then I tripped on a rabbit hole," I rage. Shadowsong says nothing, just wrapping cobwebs around my paw. I don't know why, it's not bleeding. But it's the only medicine either of us knows, and neither of us are ready to get up and go to the medicine dens, abandoning our posts. Even if no one's going to attack the camp tonight. "Maybe that'll help," Shadowsong says, though she doesn't sound so excited. "Thanks," I say. I never really decided how I felt about what Shadowsong did. Stormflight and Adderscar made it clear they were pretty disgusted by what she did. Adderscar just has a testiness about squadmates who turn FireClan, and I think Stormflight is just so intent on proving he's WaterClan- not just Thundercloud's son- would make him completely hostile to anyone who thought otherwise. I know Gorsefur was disappointed. But she was, and is, one of his best friends, and he had to forgive her. Grayleaf treats her like a patient, constantly asking her to describe in-depth how she feels each day. Oakclaw, of course, welcomed her back with a smile. And me? Shy, unassuming, sweet Brookfall? Who am I'' to judge the great Shadowsong? Because that is how I've always thought of her. Back when I joined the squad, and my strong female role models were basically limited to Shadowsong or girly Silverflower, it was obvious who I would choose to look up to, maybe even idolize. I never would have thought any of us would turn FireClan, no matter what the circumstances. So I guess I was just...shocked. And a little hurt, sure. I really don't want to think about it. Gorsefur blinked rain out of his eyes. It was a ''gorgeous day for attacking EarthClan. Mud and puddles and wet everywhere. Hopefully it would make the EarthClan cats more uncomfortable than the river-loving WaterClan. He really didn't want to make assumptions, but when he saw what seemed like the entire EarthClan army at the border, he figured a spy had run ahead and warned them. A part of him was almost impressed by Earthstar's reaction time. But he quickly drove that notion away. Waterstar stepped in front of her warriors and Earthstar did the same. The EarthClan leader was pretty, and she looked kind. But she had her shoulders squared and her eyes were narrowed. She was ready for battle. Of course, Gorsefur didn't think anyone could even come close to matching Waterstar's look of ferocity. His leader called, "Earthstar, in the name of StarClan, I ask you to surrender. You know this war is pointless, that FireClan will not win. They will never come for your Clan. Surrender, before more lives are lost." Earthstar shook her head, almost sadly. "Waterstar, I wish I could. But I will protect my Clan above all else, and I cannot take the risk that FireClan will destroy you, then come to us next as revenge for not standing with them." The she cat threw back her rain-slicked head and let out a fierce battle-cry. Waterstar echoed the cry, "WaterClan, forward!" Gorsefur caught a few flashes of his friends, Snowflight's dark amber eyes, Adderscar's ginger pelt, Oakclaw's yowl. But then the clearing exploded in the fiercest battle he had ever seen, and all his senses were sucked into it. "So...." I'm doing my best to ignore any attempts from Shadowsong at conversation. Humiliation was still coursing through me, and to be honest, I almost would have rather had anyone else stay behind. At least Adderscar or Snowflight would've just been quiet. This is just awkward. "Brookfall, what's wrong?" I look up, almost a little startled. "Is this part of your spectacular metamorphosis?" I ask, a little sarcastically. "Caring about how everyone else feels now?" She just stares at me and I sigh. "I'm fine." Because everyone always believes it when someone says that. As I suspected, she doesn't let me go that easily. "Seriously, Brookfall. Ever since I got back you've been acting weird. Are you mad? I mean, you have a right to be, but-" "Of course I'm mad!" I shout, surprising both Shadowsong and myself. But the anger just keeps pouring out of me, the jagged words meant to cut Shadowsong as deeply as possible, so they won't have to cut at me from the inside anymore. "You left us. I don't care if it was to save Oakclaw's life or because you had to, you left. And you never even tried to come back until we almost died because of you and your psychotic sister!" "Brookfall-" she starts, looking almost like she's cowering. What a change of pace. "You broke Oakclaw's heart, but the idiot's too in love to see that! Which is great, I'm so happy for you, but do you know who had to pick up the pieces? The rest of us. You broke all of our hearts, and you made us try to fix ourselves while you chased us down like some kind of monster. I get it, you had kind of a mental breakdown what with finding out you had sisters, but we-" I choke on the words. "I thought that we were like sisters. I thought that we were your family. But you hurt us." My mother used to have a silly little rhyme she would say whenever I was sad because one of the elders or warriors yelled at me. "Sticks and stones may break your bones," she would say, grooming me as I miserably sat there. "But words will never hurt you." These words hurt. Shadowsong's eyes are wide and she looks like a kit, not the usual warrior she is. "I had no idea you felt like that." "Well that's the thing about me," I say bitterly. "I can put my feelings aside for the good of the squad." "I'm trying..." "I know," I sigh, suddenly exhausted. My paw throbs and I curse all rabbits and their stupid holes. "But you already hurt us. You can't change that." She's silent for so long, I have to look over to make sure she didn't get up and leave. Finally, a small, "I'm sorry," breaks the tension. I look over and see how miserable she looks. She is trying. I scoot over and press against her. Because that's another thing about me. I forgive. "It's okay." "Well," a snide voice drawls. "Isn't that touching?" Shadowsong and I jerk our heads up to see malicious amber eyes peering out at us from Lionwing's gaunt face. Gorsefur loved battle. It wasn't that he liked hurting cats, he just liked knowing that he was doing the right thing, that he was helping. Plus, he was pretty freaking good at it, which didn't hurt. He slashed and whirled through the EarthClan ranks. The WaterClan cats were winning- they'd been fighting just a bit longer than the EarthClan cats (and by a bit, Gorsefur meant seasons). However, the EarthClan cats were a little bigger, which made things difficult sometimes. Gorsefur slashed at the nose of a huge tabby and hissed as he felt the burn of claws in his shoulders. Suddenly, the looming tom was gone and Snowflight was offering him her shoulder to lean on. "I'm okay," he protested. "Of course," she said, not teasing him as he continued to lean on her before standing back up, wincing. There was a huge clash of thunder and lightning lit up the carnage for a moment, before the battle was plunged back into darkness. Yowls split the air and Gorsefur shivered in the rain. "We should-" He was cut off by a yowl, somewhere to his right. He looked over, and through a gap in the writhing cats he could see two cats fighting. He didn't know the EarthClan cat, but he thought it was the deputy. And he knew the WaterClan cat well. Someone who had humiliated him and tormented him. Someone who had pushed him and raised him. Someone who helped him and hurt him. Waterstar. With one flash of lightning, he saw the two cats, illuminated. Waterstar was rising up on her back paws to slash at the EarthClan deputy. Snowflight was shrieking in his ear, "We have to-" Darkness again, and a terrible wail. Another roll of thunder drowned out Snowflight's words. And then, the most brilliant streak of lightning danced down from the sky to kiss the earth. It shone as brightly as if StarClan had infused it with starlight. Waterstar was still lunging for the EarthClan cat's face. He ducked. Waterstar's eyes- her cold, taunting, calculating eyes- widened as she fell through the air. Almost delicately, the EarthClan deputy reached his unsheathed claws up and dug them into her stomach, ripping into it as she plummeted towards him. Waterstar fell. A wail went up and the battle was plunged back into darkness. Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics